CBS: ‘We want ad dollars for every eyeball’

TV is increasingly watched on catch up long after shows originally air, and broadcasters are trying to get paid for more of those views. Leslie Moonves CEO of CBS told the UBS Global Media Conference in New York that advertisers are increasingly willing to pay for those audience members who watch via who watch via DVRs, VoD and online streaming. “We’re getting closer to getting paid for every eyeball that watches our shows,” he said.

It’s common for advertisers to pay broadcasters for viewership generated live and within three days of an original telecast, and Moonves said some companies are now paying for viewers within seven days.

The window for ad revenue could be extended even further to 30 days, though CBS would probably not be able to charge as much for those more-delayed viewers, Moonves said, adding that 85 per cent of commercials are not time-sensitive. However, advertisers for whom timing is important, such as movie studios, probably wouldn’t embrace a window of seven days or more.